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Friday, March 18, 2011

The Similarities Between Writing & Acting

Since I was a little girl, writing and acting have been my two very favorite passions. It hasn’t been until I carefully studied each craft that I have I realized the similarities between the two.

Writing involves acting. Writing is acting. And when you write, if there is no passion involved, the story won’t come across as believable. The same goes with acting. You have to pour your heart and soul into both of these crafts. Even though it’s just “pretend”, it’s self-expression. You’re pulling emotions from past experiences into the pages or into your performance.

Many of the same techniques you use for writing can also be used for acting, and vice versa – such as listening to music to get “in the mood”, writing character journals to get to know a character more, studying a certain time period, location or occupation, etc.

Both acting and writing—whether you’re working on a book or a film—involve a lot of time and a whole lot of work. Many nights of staying up late just to get a scene complete along with drinking many cups of coffee to keep yourself awake, rewriting/re-filming a scene until it’s perfect, making sure everything—everything, is just exactly the way you want it to be. And making sure that the characters are seem real. And making sure that the dialogue flows and everything is working together just right to convey a certain message or emotion.

Both are also an escape from reality, an escape from yourself for the moment. I love the feeling of being in front of the camera, and I also love the feeling of being alone, typing away on my keyboard as music plays through my iPod and a cup of hot coffee is waiting set down next to me. Staying up late, traveling, meeting amazing people in both industries.

I love putting myself into different characters’ shoes. I love the fact that stories can heal, encourage, and minister. I love characters. I love dialogue. I love thing situations that people can relate to and feel as if they’re not alone. For the writer. The actor. And for the reader/viewer audience.